No Angel (Complete)

Chapter 4

Xavier

After walking away from the talk with Byron, I tried calming myself down before I brought out the cake. "Mami, you gotta stop letting him get to you. Don't let Kari and everyone else see you like that." I sighed before I picked up the cake. "I know NaNa but he but he just makes me so mad." She nodded in agreement. "It's harder than it looks." I tell her as we took the cake outside. "Happy Birthday to you." We started singing as everyone else joined in. As we sang Kari's face lit up. I was happy to see my baby girl happy. After cake and icecream, we handed out the candy bags and sent everyone on their way.

I was exauhsted so I took a seat on the couch with Kari. "Kari Bugg, did you enjoy your party?" She yawned and nodded. "uh huh." She laid on my chest as I rocked her back and forth, running my fingers through soft curly bouncy hair as she slept peacefully in my arms. Carlos and Byron cleaned the back yard as Lorie and Nadia cleaned the kitchen. I went to place Kari in her bed with Aiden. At only a few weeks old they would hold hands as they slept. It was like they knew they were connected in some way. I made my way back downstairs and towards the kitchen. While laughing and joking with the girls, I looked up at the window to see Carlos and Byron talking. I knew it was something me and Byron needed to be doing but I'm stubborn.

Byron

Me and Xai's older brother Carlos were cleaning up the back yard. We had taken out all the trash and put away decorations. We didn't say anything as we cleaned up. I stopped and stood and looked into the window to see Xai laughing with Lorie and Nadia. I smiled as I remembered how she used to laugh at the simplest things. "You know you really did a number on her." I sighed. I knew this was coming. "Yea well she did one on me too." I said turning to face Carlos. He sighed. "Look. I only know her side of what happened between you two. All I know is my little sister called me and told me that she was moving back home and that she will explain when she gets home. She told me how you let your friends talk to her any kind of way and you didn't defend her. She wanted you to chase after her and you did. She wanted you to be there and you weren't so when she's hard on you about Kari. It's for a valid reason. Just remember you fucked that up." I nodded with a chuckle. "I don't have to explain anything to you. Only person I need to answer to is my daughter and her mother. Yes I made a fucked up decision and believe me I regret it everyday but I don't answer to you."

I walked off and entered the house just as Nadia was coming downstairs with Aiden. I said my goodbyes and headed upstairs to talk to Xai and saw Kari up and whining. "Hey Kari." She waved shyly. I took a seat on the bed. She crawled into my lap and curled up, I began rocking her back and forth humming twinkle twinkle little star as she softly drifts back to sleep. Once she fell into a deep sleep I ran my hand through her hair and kissed her head as I untangled her arms from around my neck. I placed her under the Yo Gabba Gabba covers and turned to see Xai standing in the door with an expression on her face that I could read. "I um. Uh. I was coming to look for you and saw her up and she looked upset so I-" She shook her head. "It's. Um. It's fine. Thank you. Um. You want something to drink." I nodded and followed her downstairs to the kitchen.

"I wanted to thank you for inviting me to the party. It was fun." She nodded as she handed me a soda and took a seat at the table across from me. "Why?" I suddenly asked her. I wanted to know why she hid this from me. She fiddled with her fingers. "Why what?" I sighed and rested back in my seat. "Why did you hide her from me?" She sighed and laid her head down on the table. "Ooouu hurmmeee." She mumbled. She sighed and peeked at me. "You hurt me BB." I winced at the nickname. "Byron-" I shook my head. "Xai. Don't you think I know that already but how could you keep something that big and important from me?" She wiped a few tears. "Xai-" She snatched her hand away from me. "I was scared okay!" I jumped. She sounded so angry. "I was scared." She pushed her hair back.

"I was scared that the way you treated me that day. I couldn't relive that again." She wiped her face again. "I couldn't have you break that little girls heart like you did mine. You were an important part of me. I fell for you when I wasn't trying to. I tried to deny it. It was hard for a while. It was hard seeing you then but it's much harder now. Just. All I ask of you Byron is please don't introduce her to disappointment so early in life. It's too soon. She's still a baby." I nodded. For the first time in a long time I felt a sense of clarity. Like everything between us was one step closer to being resolved.